Ty’s grin is slow, smug. “I want him to know everything that’s happened between us.”

My body shakes with the effort it takes not to kick him in the dick. “Leave! Now.”

I push against the door, trying to close it, but Ty moves fast. One broad hand slaps flat against the wood, stopping it cold. The other braces against the frame, caging me in with nothing but his presence. He doesn’t shove, doesn’t force—just holds steady, unmoving, his strength a quiet warning.

“You can shut the door in my face if you want, but I’m not leaving. I’ll be right here waiting when he gets back.”

My breath catches. “Please don’t do that.”

“Then let me in. Give me five minutes.” His voice softens, almost pleading. “That’s all I’m asking for. Let me explain and I’ll go.”

My head spins.

Alex will lose it if he finds him at my apartment. I can predict how that would end, and I don’t need more destruction tonight.

I step back, pulling the door open enough to let him pass. “Make it fast.”

Ty slips inside, and I close the door behind him, dread curling in my stomach. “Say what you need to say.”

“Healthy relationships are built on a foundation of truth and trust. And I want you to know the truth.”

A sharp, humorless laugh escapes me as I cross my arms. “That would be a first for you.”

His usual cocky smirk is nowhere to be found. Instead, he looks wired—like a man realizing too late that he bet everything and is about to lose it all.

“I’m the one who reported you to Soul Sync.” His words are clipped, low and fast, like he’s ripping off a bandage.

The blood in my veins turns to ice.

“Please hear me out.” He takes a step closer, holding up his hands. “I needed your life to fall apart… so I could be the one waiting in the wings to help you pick up the pieces.”

I stare at him, the betrayal sinking deep, like cold steel sliding between my ribs. “You needed my life to fall apart? Jesus, Ty. Who does something like that?”

“I had a plan. I was going to win you over. Seduce you. Make you forget about Sebring. Because nothing—and I mean nothing—would hurt him more than seeing you with me.”

Disgust curls in my stomach. My skin feels too tight, like it might split open from the pressure of my rage.

His composure slips at the edges. His usual smugness flickers—just for a second—before something else takes its place. Something… raw.

“At least that was the plan. Destroy Alex by taking the one thing he couldn’t stand to lose. Make him suffer.” He lets out a humorless laugh, shaking his head. “But something unexpected happened.”